Rotating wiper for wire tinning



April 16, 1963 M. J. sToBxERsKl 3,085,547

ROTATING wIPER Foa WIRE TINNING 4 Filed April 4. 1961 l lrffNTon L M D 1729,12. M M-TM United States Patent O 3,085,547 ROTATING WIPER FOR WIRE TINNING Michael J. Stobierski, Shelton, Conn. Filed Apr. 4, 1961, Ser. No. 100,634 2 Claims. (Cl. 118-109) This invention relates to the art of tinning a wire, and more particularly to a wiper for conferring a uniform tin coating on a steel wire, for example. In the present method a number of wires to be tinned are treated simultaneously but independently of each other, at rst drawing them from suitable coils into and through an acid cleaning tank and through wires of cotton waste to remove surplus acid, and which wires are then pa-ssed into a water rinse tank in which they dip down under guides submerged in the water. They then pass as they emerge from this tank through other stationary cotton wipes to wipe ot the greater part of the water, and are then passed into an acid and flux tank into which they are dipped by a suitable guide. As they come out of this tank they pass through a waste box to wipe off the excess acid and ux, but leaving suflcient for the tinning operation which takes place in a tinning furnace by passing the wires through a melted tin bath. In this furnace is a bath of molten tin kept molten by suitable gas burners under the bottom of the tank, and at the present time as these wires come out of this tank they pass through stationary cotton wipes in an attempt to provide a uniform coating on the wire. The wire is then passed into a water tank for cooling, and through suitable wipes into a dry tank from which they pass through other wipes to suitable reels or play-olf devices which may be rotating blocks which function also for drawing the wires through the device.

In this system the stationary wipes, as the wires emerge `from the molten tin bath, cannot be relied on to impart a smooth, uniform coating to the wires These wires pick up slivers which scratch the wire and they wear rapidly and burn out, resulting in uneven coating. The slivers have to be knocked off with a piece of wood, as well as surplus tin which piles up on the wipe. As much as fifty percent of this wire may have to be re-tinned two or three times to get a smooth tin on the wire, and much more tin may be used than is necessary for a satisfactory coating. Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a simple and improved wipe for the wires as they come out of the molten tin bath, doing away with the troubles encountered with the present form of stationary wipes, and securing a more effective, reliable and uniform coating of the wire. Primarily, this is effected by means for rotating the wipe about the wire in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis and direction of movement of the wire immediately after it emerges from the molten tin bath and while it is passing through the wipe.

Another object is to provide such a device including means whereby the wipe may be adjusted to vary the thickness of the tin coating which is imparted to the Wire.

With the foregoing and other objects in View I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a tin-coating tank containing a molten tin bath through which the wires may pass and showing how my improved wipe may be employed therewith;

3,085,547 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 FIG. 2 is a front elevation looking toward the bottom of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of my improved wipe shown on a larger scale;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section thereof substantially on line 44 o-f FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a detail section showing a somewhat modified construction.

This invention relates to improved wipes for taking the place of the stationary wipes now commonly employed for the wires as they emerge from the tinning bath of molten tin. As above indicated, in the present method these wires pass through a pair of stationary wipes, usually of cotton waste, there being individual Wipes for the separate wires. In the present device a Suitable tank v10 is indicated somewhat diagrammatically to support a bath of molten tin 11 above the oppositely inclined walls 12 forming the bottom of the tank or support for this bath, and under which are a series of gas burners 13 for keeping the molten tin at its proper temperature. The wires to be tinned, indicated at 14, as they come from the treating tanks, including the acid cleaning bath, rinse, drying and acid flux treating, pass over the guide roller 15, under suitable guides 16 in the molten bath, and thus the Wires pass through the tinning bath and emerge at the opposite side of the tank over suitable guide rolls 17 from which they pass through the wipes 18, one for each wire. As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, these wipes are located above the molten bath adjacent the exit side thereof so that the excess tin which may be wiped from the wire may drop back into the bath. From these wipes the wires are shown as each passing over a suitable reel or draw drum 19 which -draws then through the various portions of the device and through the tinning bath and wipes, and the wires may pass from these drums to any suitable coiling device. The wires, however, do not pass directly `from the wipes to the reels 14, but as they leave the wipes tirst pass through a water tank to cool the tin and then a drying tank, as well as stationary wipes from which they pass to these reels 19. These water cooling and drying tanks, however, between the tinning bath and the reels 19 are not shown on the -drawing as they of themselves form no part ofthe present invention.

My improved wipe is shown more in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. It comprises a support 20 in the form of a rotatable element, in the present case a worm gear driven by a suitable worm 21 on a drive shaft 22. It will be seen from FIG. 1 that this shaft extends across over the tinning `bath tank 10, and there will be a worm drive for each wipe for each individual wire 14. This drive may include any suitable means for controlling operation of the individual gears or supports 20, including the usual individual releasable clutch means for driving each worm gear so that should any wire break, the particular wipe for that particular wire may be stopped for repairs or rethreading of the wire. These controls are not shown in the drawing as they comprise normal and usual controls for operating similar rotating devices.

The wipe material is mounted on the forward side of the gear 20, and in `the form shown comprises a suitable cord 23. These wipe cords may be of any suitable material, such as cotton waste or yarn, an effective form being a bundle of cotton threads or bers enclosed in a braided or woven fiberglass or other suitable covering, and they may be of different sizes or diameters, but a cornmon size is in the neighborhood of seven-thirty-seconds or one-quarter inch diameter. This cord or fibrous material is wrapped several times (ordinarily three or four times, but this may be varied as found desirable) around the wire 14, as shown at 24, as it passes from the guide roll I7 in the support 25. The opposite ends may be secured by any suitable means, but an effective and easily threaded support comprises two pairs of parallel pins 26 and 27 projecting forwardly from the face of the member 20. The pins of each pair are spaced so that the wipe cord 23 may be easily inserted between them from their outer free ends, and may be held from passing through them by tying a suitable knot 28 in the free end of the cord. Means is also provided for maintaining a uniform tension on this cord and therefore uniform pressure on the wire as it passes through the loops 24 formed by the cord. In the form shown it comprises a floating pin 29 supported by a tension spring 30 supported by an adjustable screw 31 in a suitable bracket 32 mounted on the front of the member 20. The pin and spring as shown in the drawing is located between one of the pair of pins 27 and the loops 24 passed around the wire to thus maintain a uniform tightness and pressure of the wipe material on the wire. Futhermore, by adjusting the supporting screw 31 this tightness may be adjusted and varied for different size wires or for different thicknesses of coating it may be desired to impart to the wire.

The rotatable support 20 may be mounted on any suitable means for rotation in either direction in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the wire as it passes through the wipe. For this purpose it is shown as mounted to rotate on a suitable hollow shaft 33 in a suitable support 34, the wire passing, as shown in FIG. 4, from the guide roll 17 through the loops 24 and then through the hollow shaft 33 from which it may be passed through the water cooling tank, the drying tank, and then through suitable stationary cotton wipes to the draw-ofi reels 19. The positions of the cooling and drying tanks are indicated by the breaks 19a in the wires.

A somewhat modified form of wipe is shown in FIG. 5, but it is still rotated about the wire in a plane at right angles to the direction of movement of the wire. In this case a suitable fibrous wipe material 35, such as cotton waste or similar material, is mounted in a suitable container or cupped member in the form of a die 36 recessed in the front wall of the supporting gear 20 at the forward end of the hollow shaft 33, and this is packed in the container so that the fibrous material, due to its resiliency and tendency to expand, presses against the wire and gives a uniform wiping action.

It will be seen from the above that the wipe is rotated about the wire as the wire issues from the molten tin bath, and it rotates in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis or direction of motion of the wire. It thus gives a uniform wiping action to the tinned surface of the wire as this wire moves past the Wipe material, the surplus molten tin which is removed from the wire by the wipe dropping back into the molten bath. The pressure or tension of the cord shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be controlled by the adjustably mounted spring and floating pin 29, and the cord can be easily removed and replaced. Due to this rotating action and movement of the wipe the slivers and similar particles are not retained by the wipe as in the old form of stationary wipe, but are dropped so they do not scratch the wire and the wipes do not burn out or wear as fast as do the stationary wipes. For these and other reasons a much more uniform and smooth tin surface is applied to the wire, conserving tin and greatly reducing the amount of scrap wire which is encountered in the old methods using the stationary wipe at this location. The wipe may be easily removed and replaced, and as it is in an open position it may be easily watched and inspected.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. A wiper for wiping excess coating material from a wire as it passes from a coating bath comprising a cord of fibrous material wrapped around the wire, a rotatable support, means mounting the cord on said support, means for drawing the wire longitudinally through the wrapped portion of the oord, driving means for rotating the support to rotate the wrapped portion of the cord around the Wire as the wire moves thro-ugh said wrapped portion, a floating supporting member on the support about which the cord passes, and resilient means applying a tension to said floating supporting member to control the pressure of the Wrapped portion on the wire.

2. In a device for wiping excess coating material from a wire as it passes from la bath of melted metal, a rotatable support provided with an opening therethrough, a hollow shaft in alignment with the opening and supporting said support, means for passing the wire as it issues from the bath through the support and the shaft, a wiper comprising a fibrous oord wrapped around the wire `at the forward side of the support, two pairs of spaced pins projecting forwardly from the front face of the support land spaced laterally from said opening adapted to receive an-d hold `the opposite ends of the cord, a floating support between one pair of said pins and the opening, a spring supporting said floating support and biased to put a tension on the cord as it is wrapped around the wire, `and drive means for rotating the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 253,227 Rice Feb. 7, 1882 293,095 Sawyer Feb. 5, 1884 902,445 Phillips etal Oct. 27, 1908 2,248,663 Flynn July 8, 1941 2,386,148 Smith Oct. 2, 1945 2,435,766 Baley Feb. 10, 1948 2,501,339 Keyes Mar. 2l, 1950 

1. A WIPER FOR WIPING EXCESS COATING MATERIAL FROM A WIRE AS IT PASSES FROM A COATING BATH COMPRISING A CORD OF FIBROUS MATERIAL WRAPPED AROUND THE WIRE, A ROTATABLE SUPPORT, MEANS MOUNTING THE CORD ON SAID SUPPORT, MEANS FOR DRAWING THE WIRE LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE WRAPPED PORTION OF THE CORD, DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SUPPORT TO ROTATE THE WRAPPED PORTION OF THE CORD AROUND THE WIRE AS THE WIRE MOVES THROUGH SAID WRAPPED PORTION, A FLOATING SUPPORTING MEMBER ON THE SUPPORT ABOUT WHICH THE CORD PASSES, AND RESILIENT MEANS APPLYING A TENSION TO SAID FLOATING SUPPORTING MEMBER TO CONTROL THE PRESSURE OF THE WRAPPED PORTION ON THE WIRE. 